Day Eleven: Traveling to Middle Earth

I woke in Nelson, went for a mini run and grabbed a quick coffee from a street cart hoping it would be as good as the one I had the day before. It wasn’t, but it was good. A nice shuttle bus man picked me up to bring me to the airport. He had a little storage wagon attached to the back of the bus for big bags. Most busses have these little wagons. I carefully sat down in the wagon and lay on my back to set down my heavy pack.  The bus driver watched me then remarked: “You’ve got a cunning plan!” I thought this was a fabulous thing to say.

The bus brought me to Nelson airport. The tiny Nelson airport had absolutely no security. I did not present any ID to get my boarding pass printed and there were no X-rays for me or my bags. I never showed anyone an ID or a passport. I was a bit nervous because the plane was so small, but it ended up being a worthwhile trip. It was a short ride and the views were amazing. I felt like I was flying over the Lord of the Rings movie.

The plane's destination was Queenstown, known as the adventure capitol of New Zealand and possibly the world. Queenstown is a popular destination for bungee jumping and other crazy activities. The town also offers a strikingly beautiful lake and landscape amongst the New Zealand Alps. 

Lake Wakatipu, Queenstown

Though I was interested in this area of New Zealand, I was not keen to bungee jump or take a million dollar cruise so I arranged to rent a car and relocate to a less touristy but equally beautiful town: Wanaka.

Lest you think I'm a dull person, I should let you know that I chose my own style of adventure in Queenstown: renting a car. Fortunately I had spent the previous two weeks learning new traffic rules via bicycle. I told the rental car lady about my training when she asked if I had ever driven on the left side of the road. She didn't have much of a response. Though some preparation was better than none, driving on the other side of the road on the other side of a car was a nerve wrecking experience. Almost immediately I developed a mantra which I repeated over and over while my white knuckles clutched the steering wheel.

“I stay on the left”

“I watch for bikes”

“Mike says I’m a good driver”.

Phrase one and two of my mantra were obviously safety reminders. Phrase three was a confidence booster. Mike is hands down the best driver me and Joseph know. He drove an enormous truck for many years with out incident. He had ridden along with me on an errand or two and had told me I was a good driver. Such a compliment is the highest one a driver can receive, and I reflected on it now.

Approximately fifteen minutes, two roundabouts, and one gravel road later I arrived by car, in one piece to my airbnb host house. It felt as though it had taken an hour. 

The Holden Barina: Car of true daredevils

I hobbled inside the house with my bags and took a sigh of relief. I never wanted to get in that damn car again. It had gone all right, but it was terrifying. However, there was no one home, and I didn't come to New Zealand to sit in some lady's house by myself. Also, I was hungry. So I dragged my ass back to the car intent on driving to downtown Queenstown for supplies. I found a classical radio station and began my mantra. By the time I arrived to town I was feeling more comfortable and was only using the windshield wipers for blinkers half of the time. 

I found a good bite for lunch, and picked up some groceries for dinner. I also checked out downtown Queenstown and took some pictures of the beautiful lake. 

Back at the house there was still no host present but a carload of Chinese women had also arrived. They were renting another bedroom in the house. We talked a bit and everyone cooked their dinner. Though we were in a house in rural New Zealand surrounded by hills and sheep, no one would have guessed it if they had been magically transported to the kitchen that night. 

Backyard of my airbnb house in Queenstown

View from the back porch

Mrs. Blue's vast generalizations on New Zealand homes  

• The granite countertop craze has not hit New Zealand kitchens. There are however, some fabulous granite beaches. 
• The stainless steel kitchen appliance craze has also not hit. In fact, the fancy kitchen craze is not a thing in New Zealand. 
• Dishwashers are not a given for Kiwis. 
• Kiwis do not own clothes dryers. Everything goes on the line. 
• Hand washing sinks are tiny. Not cute tiny, annoying tiny in that you don’t feel you are being hygienic because your hands rub the sink the whole time you are “washing” them. In the process you get water all over the floor.
• Kiwis have much smaller fridges than Americans. 

Vast generalizations of New Zealand in general

• Kiwi lakes are more like oceans.
• Biking (on the road) in New Zealand is not incredibly safe.